CASSANDRA VALENTINE-WOODS
She dreamed of finding love. Spending the summer before college as a normal teenage girl with her best friend by her side and possibly a boyfriend. Never in her many dreams would she have predicted that she'd be married int...
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As I served a customer, my stomach churned with nerves. Today was the day I would meet the man to whom I'm committing my life. The anxiety made my hands tremble, a level of nervousness I hadn't felt since my last first date. In a way, this could be considered a first date. Meanwhile, the man in front of me grumbled about his drink, which I had neglected in my preoccupied state.
"I'm sorry sir," I sighed, placing the drink down in front of him. "Here's your drink." Vivianne watched me as she served a table full of freshmen soon to be sophomores.
"Are you seriously still stressing about dinner later?" She followed me to counter. My groan must've been loud because it drew a lot of attention, causing me to walk into the kitchen.
"I have every right to be nervous, Viv," I said, leaning against the sink and pinching the bridge of my nose. "Honestly, Vivianne, it feels like I'll be able to just be me."
"Hey, what if he's hot?" Vivianne leaned next to me, a smart remark planted on her face. She pulled me into a tight hug. "You'll be okay Cass, you're the strongest person I know."
I hugged her tightly; my best friend had always been supportive and there for me. We met in the 7th grade while playing dodgeball outside. I fell on the pavement and cut my cheek. She helped me up, saying, "At least you'll have a cool scar," which turned out to be a lie; now it's just there. Ever since, she has always picked me up when I fell, wiping away my tears whenever I cried.
"Thank you, Viv," I smiled at her softly, "I love you." My sentence made her smile hard. She had always been the outgoing friend; I was more introverted. She was the type of friend to go out of their way to show you how they felt and make sure you knew it. Me on the other hand, I rarely expressed how I felt, so that sentence meant a lot to her.
"Aww," She pulled me into a deeper hug. "I love you too Cass."
Vivianne headed out on her break, leaving me alone completely to handle the costumers along with my coworkers. Working at a restaurant wasn't exactly what I had in mind. I would've rather had an internship in a design firm. I loved fashion and the way you could combine different colors and fabrics.
I contemplated whether to pursue a fashion career after marriage. The future was unclear, and everything was moving swiftly. Doubts plagued me; I didn't know this man well, though his wealth could easily help me get to fame. Yet, I hesitated, fearing embarrassment—not only for him but for myself. What if my designs fell short? What if I wasn't the best?
My mother always called my art a hobby. I loved my mother, but it started to seem like she had my whole life planned out and I had no choice in what I wanted to do. Designing was something I loved to do but she always just dismissed it. Now that I was getting married was that even a possibility for me.
Art had always been my thing. —————— "Are you girls ready?" Mom voice could be heard across the neighborhood, too bad Vivianne and I were only upstairs. "At this point, we'll never get there."
